


Chances taken

by PoisonJack



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Add tags as I go, Drunken Flirting, F/M, General au, Semi-Public Sex, Shameless Smut, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Vaginal Fingering, Wall Sex, hancock's bad jokes HA, some canon divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-03 16:03:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16329164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonJack/pseuds/PoisonJack
Summary: Our sole survivor buys MacCready a beer in the Third Rail, things escalate :)This is really just an excuse for some self-indulgent porn with sprinkled in plot here and there xD Going for the feelseventually. But let's be real we're all here for the smut haha





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've got multiple works across two fandoms I'm working on at the moment, but I'm trying to hit that million-words marker before the end of the year, soooo we get some maccready smut at the same time as other stuff HAHA 
> 
> Please consider leaving a comment if you'd like more ;) I'm working on a lot of stuff and it's nice to see what people are enjoying :)

MacCready was nursing his single and only beer with the grim finality of a man who knew he didn’t have the caps to spare for another. It had long lost the slight chill of the underground club, warm as his hand that held it wishing he could pony up for another.

He was going to have to cast his net a little wider, risk leaving Goodneighbor to maybe hire up as a caravan guard until something better came along. 

He downed the rest of his beer with a grimace. There was a prospect he wasn’t looking forward to. He was way too sober to face the reality of things.

“Hey, Charlie, one more on my tab?”

“Your credit ain’t lookin’ too good, and Hancock’s been _more_ than generous already, _mate._ ”

 _The tone_ , MacCready thought, was unnecessary. And how did a robot manage a _tone_ anyways?

“Come _on_ , man. You know I’m good for it.”

“I know you’re _not._ Now pony up the caps or bugger off.”

Mac scoffed at that. Now he _really_ wanted another beer. But the hint that maybe he’d been overstaying Hancock’s good graces didn’t go over his head. He’d been camped out here for mercenary work for a while now without anyone biting. And the few jobs he _did_ take weren’t exactly going to sustain him in the long run.

It might be time to look into boring but _stable_ work. Find a caravan to hire up with in Bunker Hill maybe. Lord knew the people of Goodneighbor weren’t exactly rolling in caps....

A beer was placed in front of him, and he looked up with suspicion as Charlie scoffed-- and okay, how could a robot _scoff_?! 

“Don’t tell me you’ve gone and grown a soft spot,” Mac grumbled, eyeing the beer with want but never one to just take something without knowing what it would cost him first. 

“If I ever get as soft as you fleshy types then I’ll self-destruct on the spot,” the robot told him. One of his clawed hands pointed down the bar to another drifter keeping to herself, enjoying the same type of bottle that was just placed in front of him and picking idly at the label as she watched Magnolia sing. The trench coat she wore had seen better days, but the woman inside it didn't seem the Goodneighbor-type, so to speak. Not that the pipboy on her arm didn’t advertise that fact already. 

She must've felt his gaze on her, because she turned in his direction, eyes flicking to the beer in front of him before smiling and nodding. 

MacCready got off his seat, beer in hand and some misguided sense of pride sending him to the other side. He set the warm beverage down with a clank on the bar, the look on his face schooled to reflect the poor mood he was in as she looked at him with wary confusion. “I don’t know what you’re selling, lady, but nothing in this world is free, and I’m not buying.”

“...Christ, common decency’s gone to hell too,” she muttered to herself with a shake of her head. She snorted as she looked at him dismissively. “I’m not selling anything and I sure as hell ain’t lookin’. Just trying to be nice.”

“No one is nice for no reason.”

She snorted, turning her body back towards the bar in what was obvious dismissal. “They were once. Enjoy your drink, man. You obviously need it.” She tipped her own bottle towards him before climbing off her seat, obviously put off by his show of gratitude.

Let no one say RJ MacCready didn’t have a damn sense of decency, or wasn’t trying his hardest to get there anyways. He huffed and stopped her. “Look, didn’t mean anything by it, but it’s not every day someone just buys you a drink without wanting something in return.”

She gave him a funny look-- mildly amused, but what by, he wasn’t sure- but the beer in his hand was solid and _damn_ but he _did_ need it, but no one in Goodneighbor was exactly generous with their caps.

“I really don’t want anything from you. Really.” The expression he gave her must have shown he wasn’t convinced, because she rolled her eyes and smiled, and damn if that wasn’t some of the whitest teeth he’d ever seen this side of Boston. “Maybe I wanted to enjoy my beer in peace and you were harshing my buzz down there, and I was trying to shut you up.”

He snorted with a little vanity at the teasing tone, ears a little hot at the idea that she'd found him annoying enough to intervene. “It’s your caps, lady,” Mac said dismissively, but he sat one stool over from her. A surprised look came over her face, and he warily popped the cap and took a dreg, keeping her in his line of sight as if she'd somehow take the gift away. He set down the bottle to give her another once over. “You’re not from around here.”

“Arguable,” she said with a sort of wistful smirk as if she’d just told a joke. 

MacCready took another sip and ooh, yeah, he’d _really_ needed this second beer. He was still ornery, shooting Charlie little looks of derision, but if the robot cared, he didn’t deign himself to react. Mac turned himself back to the drifter, taking full stock of her appearance. “Goodneighbor doesn’t exactly attract your type.”

“ _My_ type?”

“The type with caps to throw around.”

She snorted. “I’d hardly call a beer ‘throwing caps around’.”

“Yeah, well, you be nice to the wrong people and you’re gonna get robbed.”

“Are you saying you're the wrong people?” she asked with a guileless smile that gave him momentary pause. She just chuckled. “I can handle myself, but thanks for the concern.”

He breathed out through his nose in dismissal of that fact. Then again, he wasn’t exactly the picture of Grognak but he could hold his own… well enough. “If you say so... So what brings you to Goodneighbor?”

“What? I don't look like a regular?”

“No one _living_ in Goodneighbor buys a guy a beer when he's annoying them,” he told her somewhat judgmentally, as if she had bad taste in being nice to _him._

She laughed and shook her head. “That's fair,” she said diplomatically. “I'm here on business.”

“What kind of business?”

She paused to give him a wary-yet-amused smirk. “You always interrogate people who buy you a drink?”

“No one’s ever bought me a drink.”

“I wonder why...” 

Okay, he deserved that. He could feel the frown on his face before she was talking again, voice still amused but more subdued. 

“I’m just messing with you, buddy.”

“Hmph.” Okay, so he wasn’t the picture of manners, but who was around here anyway? He supposed the beer was worth a little piece of advice. He helped himself to another sip before motioning towards her with his chin. “You go around showing off that pipboy, someone’s gonna stick a knife in you for it.”

She grinned those white, white teeth at him, though the way her eyes quickly passed over him in assessment and then met his own again was equal amusement and warning. “They’re welcome to try.”

“No offense, lady, but you’re not exactly the picture of intimidation.”

She snorted. “Got that right.” She turned her attention back to her beer, downing the last dregs of the bottle before before flagging down the robot barkeep. “Charlie, two more?”

“You’ve got the caps, I’ve got the goods.”

MacCready grumbled a bit at that as the robot sat down two more beers, but was pleasantly surprised when she uncapped one and gave it to him before uncapping her own. 

_Two_ free beers, huh? She _definitely_ wasn't from around here.

He finished off the rest of his bottle a bit greedily before palming the next one. “You a vaultie?”

“Guess you could say that… I’m not exactly the picture of intimidation, huh?”

He grinned at his own words being repeated back to him, smiling down into his chest to cover his enjoyment. “Even if you weren't wearing that pipboy, ‘teeth are too nice to be a scavver.”

Said teeth were shown in a pleased smile as she laughed. “Believe it or not, my teeth are pretty shit back where I’m from.”

He snorted. _Now_ she was having a go at him for sure. He muttered into his beer. “Yeah, right.”

She snorted right back, tone almost sarcastic. “Would you believe I’m actually a time-traveller from an ancient-advanced civilization with more stuff than sense?”

“Maybe after a few more drinks,” he said under a grin, smirking as he took another drink. The way she laughed at that with genuine amusement sent warmth through his chest, and he realized he was having _fun._

He didn't expect he'd actually get free beer and good conversation tonight. And in Goodneighbor of all places. 

He remarked as much.

She laughed. “Yeah well, same here.” Her smile was wide as she looked at him, mirth in her eyes that might be the alcohol or the enjoyment of the conversation. “You've definitely made waiting on my ass more fun than trying to get a conversation out of Charlie.”

The sniper gave the robot a side glance before looking back at her with a crooked grin. “ _Anything_ is more fun than trying to get a conversation out of Charlie. Why do you think I was drinking in the first place.”

She actually snorted with laughter, and Mac wasn't entirely sure if the robot bartender shot him a look with those stalk eyes or not, but Mac was drinking and chuckling and didn't give a _damn_ whether or not the robot heard him. If it got more of that laughter from the generous stranger at his side, then he had quite a few more jabs about the mister handy ready and waiting. A few jokes in exchange for free beer was a hell of a bargain he wouldn't pass up.

“You didn't tell me your name,” she said with a smile and a sparkle in her eyes as her chuckling had calmed down.

He offered a smirk in response, voice amused. “You didn't tell me yours, either.”

“Nora,” she told him, leaning into his space with a warm smile. “I’m Nora.”

A grin wormed its way onto his face. Damn did she had a pretty smile. “RJ.”

He didn’t know when he’d moved one seat closer to her, or when precisely his hand had found its way to her thigh, but the grin she was giving him was anything but put-off as she was leaning in close to his space as they chatted secretively about inconsequential things. 

Nora was leaning into his space as he was chuckling at something she’d said, and he smirked back at her circumspection as she watched him closely. “You have got _very_ pretty eyes.”

He blushed at that, smirking a little at the way she was looking at him. “Oh yeah? See anything else you like?”

Okay, he was drunk. More than a little drunk. But damn it had been a long time since he’d been able-- let alone _allowed_ \- himself to blunt his senses for an evening. He felt good, and her company was good, and the closeness to which they were sitting was more than an appropriate setting to test the waters to flirt.

Her hand was on his shoulder as she leaned heavily on him, breath warm on his neck where she whispered with a smile into his ear. “RJ, wanna get outta here?” Her other hand on was his thigh, giving it a squeeze, and hell yes he wanted to get out of there. 

His shit was all safely stowed in Hancock’s own VIP section. Charlie and Ham wouldn’t let anyone make off with anything, not that he had much by ways worth stealing. His hand settled around her waist and her own she kept holding the side of his face as they made the way up the stairs, snickering and laughing like the drunken pair they were. 

Her hand was so soft against his cheek, and he wondered pleasantly if the rest of her skin was soft, mind starting to wander until they reached Ham at the top of the steps.

“Holy sh-- _crap_ ,” Mac said as she retrieved her piece from the ghoul-- and what a piece it was. 

She just gave him a grin as she slung the battle-hardened sniper rifle over her shoulder, the damn thing near as long as she was tall. She slid up next to his side once more, eyes focused on his own and then his mouth, hand snaking around his waist to lean in close. 

It was an impulse-- a quick thing- to close the distance between them to press a kiss to her lips. He surprised himself a bit with that, but she laughed and pulled him closer to kiss him again before an unimpressed snort and grouchy “Get a room” from Ham interrupted them.

His heart beat with excitement as she tugged him after her, the opportunity of a beer and a warm body something he hadn’t allowed himself in a long time. 

They disappeared into the shadow of one of the alleys, tugging one another by the hips as they kissed and groped and rubbed up against one another, impatient to touch. MacCready pressed her into the wall as she laughed and crushed their mouths together, Mac’s lips biting up her neck as his beard tickled her ear. “Do you have a place?”

“What, got something against the great outdoors?” she said as she grabbed at his ass to grind herself against him better with a breathy sigh.

His voice came out a hoarse chuckle and _wow_ , MacCready hadn’t figured himself for an exhibitionist but the idea of messing around in public was really doing things for him. Her lips were so damn soft, and she was so confident, obviously wanted him just as bad back, and it was a nice little stroke to the tiny touch-starved thing inside him that he wanted more.

“Mmm… come on, RJ, unzip your pants,” she slurred out as her thumbs hooked into the top of his pants.

“Ffuuh-- _frick_ ,” Mac stuttered, her hand questing for his zipper, and he ground himself into her before digging his own calloused fingers up inside her shirt before going down the back of her own pants to grab handfuls of ass.

There were a few times they stopped in what could only be described as drunken foreplay, listening if anyone was coming, snickering at their paranoia and want, and then took back up in the touching and moving and breathy little moans because honestly, neither cared _that_ much. 

Nora was cursing drunken slurs intermingled with huffs of impatience as she tried to get her pants down. “...goddamn zipper… piece of shit…”

He batted her own drunken hands away for his own, but neither could get them undone as it was caught on fabric. He chuckled and she sounded pissed off. “Fuck, just cut it,” she said impatiently.

He was momentarily sobered by the request; _real_ careful as she held the waistband out away from her skin, and it struck him that trusting a complete stranger in a dark alley with a combat knife against your person was foolish as hell-- and yeah, she’s gotta definitely be from a vault- but maybe she was counting on the fact that he wanted to get laid more than robbery or murder was concerned. At least that's what he thought as she impatiently told him to hurry as he’d gotten stuck inside his own thoughts.

As far as wasteland no-no’s went, it was a terrible one. He wasn’t the type to rob a lay, especially a nice one who'd shared beer with him and made him laugh. He was careful with her.

“Might’ve overdone it a bit…” he chuckled, voice gruff as he tucked his knife back away, a thumb hooked in the opening they’d made more or less ruining the pants. 

She pressed into his hand with a breathy sigh of satisfaction at the advantageous slit they'd created, gyrating her hips against him, and it was more than enough to get him back to the act at hand.

He was kissing up her neck, sucking and biting little marks onto her skin as his hand was toying with her over her underwear. She was pressing into his hand and begging for more, voice stuttering as he hooked fingers into the side and pulled the fabric out of the way enough to gain access to her heat, and god, she was so wet already, the fabric he'd pulled aside soaked. It was doing insane things to his ego, especially the way she pressed herself towards his hand. 

Her arms were around him insistently tugging, holding on as his rifle-calloused fingers made contact with sensitive flesh that made her cry out, and he was more than gratified at how she was obviously trying to get his teasing fingers _inside_ of her. The way she whimpered was making him harder than he'd been in a very long time. He hadn't known he'd needed it so bad, but goddamn he _wanted._

“RJ… _mmmm please_ ,” she said as his hand found its way down his own front to his cock bulging from the confines of his pants. She gave him a squeeze that got a very interesting noise from him, and in that moment he decided to probe a finger inside her. She buckled a moment in pleasure and relief, and his chuckles as he kissed her neck and stuck another finger inside her came out deep and husky with arousal.

“Hell _yes_ ,” he said, working his fingers in and out of her while she ground against the palm of his hand, momentarily forgetting her own quest to take his cock out of his pants. 

He stopped moving long enough for her to shoot an insulted little look his way, and he pressed her harder against the alley wall with a deep chuckle, grinding himself into her hand that was once again at his zipper.

Her hands were removing his cock from his pants not a moment later, and he groaned in pleasure at the soft but firm touch; careful, but she obviously knew what she was doing. He was thrusting into her hand as she gave him a few snickering strokes at the turnaround that made him grip her with both of his own hands, pleased this was happening, and more than pleased to have such a reaction from such a merc.

“How're we-- _mmmm_ let's get to it,” she said before biting his lip, wondering if the slit they'd carved out of her pants was big enough to have him bend her over. 

He surprised her by taking handfuls of her ass before lifting and using the wall to pin her between it and himself. The look of shock before she bit her lower lip and wrapped her arms around him made him genuinely grin.

“ _Geez_ , you're stronger than you look.”

He only snickered at the praise, cock throbbing with the heat of her so so close. God it had been so long. 

Apparently it wasn't her first time being nailed to a wall, because she properly spread herself against him, opening herself up as her thighs fit tightly over his hips, and reached down to guide him into her.

He was gasping, groaning as she sunk down onto him, and her body was pulsing around him as she hummed and gripped his shoulders tight. Their fit was more intimate than anything he could remember with how she was spread onto him. It filled his chest with something he didn't want to think about, instead kissing her as her body still pulsed over him and she moaned into his mouth. 

She used the leverage of the wall and his shoulders to help him thrust into her, moaning maybe loud enough to draw attention, but not caring a bit.

“Oh fuck, just like that… _aaa-a-a-aaah_ ,” her voice stuttered as he was hitting all the right spots, the position getting some good friction on her clit, and she was somewhat grateful she wasn't going to last very long as she'd surely be feeling these gymnastics the next day.

MacCready found himself getting closer as her voice rose in tempo; the delicious feel of her warm, wet body gripping his cock and feeling the way she ground down against him; the way those perfect teeth bit him on the jaw; and the sexy way she was grabbing his ass, and Mac had to pull out of her before it was too late.

Her knees were wobbly as he set her down, so close to reaching her damn peak that she whined, but apparently RJ had been closer. He had his face in her neck and a hand flying over his cock quickly to finish himself, and she decided that simply wouldn't do. 

She pulled him flush to her-- legs spread so he couldn't spill on her already-questionable pants- and grabbed his bare ass with her hands while tugging an earlobe with her teeth. 

He was coming onto the alley ground with a groan and a curse he'd have to make up for later, the feeling of her hands gripping his ass and her hard breathing in his ear drawing out his orgasm to be better than anything he'd felt in years. 

He was breathing hard himself and _god_ he felt _good_ , but then he remembered she hadn't gotten off yet, and he was backing her back into that wall a moment later to kiss and fondle even as his cock was trying its hardest for another go. He easily slipped two fingers back inside her as she whined softly into his mouth, her muscles squeezing him strongly as he chuckled with self-satisfaction to get her off. That she was actually _begging_ him was like winning the wasteland lottery.

“Oh RJ… please-- just like that--- _don't stop-- yesss… don't stop--_ don't stop!”

His hand moved to her clit, thumb dancing over it as he finger fucked her, and she ground down and fucked herself on his hand until she came, shaking over his fingers. 

He was kissing her neck, thumb still moving over her until she pushed his hand away at the oversensitivity, a happy laugh as she met their mouths together once more in post-orgasmic satisfaction. That was _good._ That was _damn_ good. 

MacCready was standing there with his ass out for any dickhead to see, pants slipped somewhere mid-thigh, but god he wanted just a few more moments of being pressed up against another warm body in naked intimacy. It had been spur of the moment, and he didn’t think he’d allow himself something like this again for a long time, but he largely had zero regrets. This encounter would get him through a lot of lonely nights in his days to come, that was for damn sure.

She pulled her underwear back over herself as they stood closely together still, the wide slit in her pants making her snort, the well-satisfied smile of a happy woman looking at him with a drunken gleam to her eyes. He kissed her lips once more on impulse, and the little satisfied chuckle that left her made him smile.

She looked down between them as he was putting his cock away and zipping his pants up, and she gave a little snicker. “Nice shootin, Tex.”

“Huh?” He looked to where she was looking, growing a bit mortified as he realized he’d come on the tip of her boot, his release shiny against the leather. But he was too satisfied to care _too_ much, and he felt too good to be too embarrassed for long, and he only shook his head and shrugged with a chuckle. 

So much for hitting the mark.

She was laughing too hard to really keep a tight hold on him, but he let her drag him back against her for a few more touches and post-coital kisses to show she didn’t really hold it against him. That he smiled back only pleased her even more.

He tried to concentrate on just how great a shitty night had turned out, especially considering that he’d been in a shit mood about caravan guarding. It might be dull, slow work, but this memory would keep him warm for a few weeks to come, and get him through earning some caps the slow and respectable way.

“You got a place?” he checked, feeling more carefree than he had in months. And yeah, Hancock’s VIP section might not exactly be _his_ to extend an invitation to a lay, but he felt a little more charitable having had many beers and an orgasm to boot, all because she'd wanted to ‘shut him up’ or whatever. The thought made him grin.

“Yeah, I got a place,” she replied with a smile. Her hands gave him another squeeze, and he smirked despite himself. “Thanks for the fun, RJ. You, uh, you hang around Goodneighbor often?”

He cocked his head to the side. “...I’m heading out tomorrow, actually.”

“Oh.” 

He felt just the slightest bit smug at the soft disappointment in her voice; a little proud he’d given her a good enough time to apparently be asking after him. But time was money, and waiting around for a contract was costing him caps.

“Well, see ya around I guess,” she said with a smirk, giving him yet another squeeze and quick press of her body against his, and then she was wrapping her trench coat around the telling slice through her pants, and left the alley with a chuckle. 

He followed suit a few moments after, shaking his head at himself with a little smirk. 

That had certainly made for an interesting last night in Goodneighbor, that was for damn sure. He hoped he might run into her again, either once he was back from this caravan job, or maybe somewhere out in the commonwealth. She was too good a lay to hope otherwise.

He didn't realize he'd be seeing those sparkling eyes and amazing ass not even twelve hours later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Finally_ doing my maccready/sole survivor fic aaaaaagh. It's about damn time :) Please leave a comment if you've read and enjoyed and would like to see more :) i'm trying to write more of a Merc-Cready (LOLOLOL) but we'll see how that goes xD
> 
> [my fallout tumblr](http://CommonwealthBankofMacCready.tumblr.com/) | [my fic archive masterlist](https://commonwealthbankofmaccready.tumblr.com/post/172184061939/poisonjack-ao3-fic-archive) | ao3 FAQ: [Can I post comments anonymously, or if I don't have an Archive account? ](https://archiveofourown.org/faq/comments-and-kudos?language_id=en#anoncomment)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to put this as part of chapter one because i think this chapter is _genuinely_ funny af but then ya'll can be the judge of that xD Please leave a comment if you're enjoying the story! xD I prioritize updating my fics based on interest from who's commenting on what :)

MacCready was in a bit of a lousy mood the next morning when Ham rudely awakened him with his boot. 

“Hancock wants you,” the ghoul’s voice reported, and Mac blinked, wondering what time it was. Felt early, but then when you’re staying in a _bar,_ ‘early’ is subjective.

He wondered if maybe he hadn’t actually overstayed his welcome. Ham wasn't exactly forthcoming with details, but Hancock wasn't the kind to kick his ass over an overdue tab… at least, he was _pretty_ sure about that.

Taking his pack with him, he groggily climbed his way from the bar and back into the streets of Goodneighbor. The air was chill and the sky was brightening. Early indeed.

Mac steadied himself in wondering why _Hancock_ of all people would ask for him at such an early time of the morning, and considered that he'd either overstayed his welcome, or maybe the ghoul still hadn't gone to sleep from partying the night before.

He hoped it was the later as he approached and entered the old state house.

Mac’s feet creaked on the old steps as he made his way up the stairs to the mayor’s study. He could hear Hancock’s voice before he saw him-- the ghoul mayor laughing at something- the shut of a door, and the other man’s footsteps about his parlor as Mac stepped in.

Hancock’s face lit up in a friendly smile. “Hey there, MacCready. Got a job for you.”

Straight to the point, and in his favor apparently. Mac liked that about Hancock. He didn't know the nature of the job-- and frankly at this point, it didn't make much difference to him- but work was work, and he _really_ wasn't looking forward to guarding slow-moving targets like caravans just to make ends meet. If Hancock had something for him, he was gonna take it.

“You heard of the Minutemen?” the mayor asked, and Mac wondered just how much he might know about him or not.

“Yeah… once or twice,” he said with a bit of guilt. It was too early to be thinking about Quincy, and it was starting to feel not at all too early for another drink. If this job was about the Minutemen, he might have to make some uncomfortable decisions.

“They have a new general. Could use a guy handy with a gun. I’ve been talking you up so you better not embarrass me,” Hancock said with a little chuckle. 

“What does a general need with a hired gun when they have an army?”

“Think of it more like bodyguard work, maybe. Though she can definitely hold her own.”

The door adjacent opened, and Mac’s eyes turned practically to dinner plates as Hancock’s voice trailed off, and another began. 

“I told you they were too big,” a woman’s voice said as she came out, pants a bit baggy around a frame MacCready was more than intimately acquainted with. 

“Don’t tell Fahrenheit that,” Hancock chuckled as he and Mac both stood there while she buckled things in place. When she looked up, she froze upon sight of him, and MacCready felt his breath stolen from him.

Did _he_ leave those marks on her neck? Wow, they _must_ have been drunk last night… But wait dammit that’s not the important thing here, what in the _hell_ was his lay from last night doing in _Hancock’s_ office?

“Hey doll, this is MacCready. Best sniper around these parts. Mac, this is the General.”

Nora’s face was overall pale in shock before her cheeks went pink, and Mac _knew_ his must’ve been bright red if the heat in his ears was anything to go by. He could feel the flush going all the way down his neck. His embarrassment was forgotten for a moment in the face of the facts. “Wait, _General_?”

Hancock, perceptive bastard he was, looked between them before absolutely cracking up, leaning against one of the couches for support as Nora sort of just silently gawked, and Mac was all too aware why she needed a change of pants in the first place.

“ _Leaving today_?” she threw back at him.

“So MacCready’s the lucky bastard, huh?”

“Oh my _god_ , John, shut up,” she hissed as her attention was back on the mayor, her own cheeks reddening further, and yeah, this was about the most awkward morning-after MacCready had had since… well, since anything he could ever recall.

“Who taught you how to undress a gal anyways? That stuff’s expensive, you know?” Hancock teased with a look towards Nora’s new pants that made MacCready wonder just how much the other man actually knew. Said woman’s lips were a tight line as she glared all kinds of death at the ghoul mayor, snorting.

“Can we _not_?” Mac muttered, pulling his cap a bit lower on his head in embarrassment while the mayor laughed his damn head off.

“Anyways, like I was saying,” Hancock turned his smirk back to Nora, “MacCready is the best thing to have at your back if you’re looking to get things done… But maybe you already know that.”

Mac’s face was redder than a tato if the heat he felt was anything to go off of. Nora gave Hancock’s shoulder a proper punch with a muttered ‘grow up’, but the ghoul just laughed again and swung an arm around her shoulders and gave her a friendly squeeze. 

“Going rate is still 350 up front, right?”

Mac nodded, albeit red-faced and a little shook from the inflated price. Hancock, MacCready decided, might be an asshole sometimes, but watching out for him and bolstering his going-rate was worth forgiving the ribbing he was getting this morning. Though what with the tab he had at the Rail, maybe the other man had more self-interest in his business than just helping a guy out.

“That’s just for shooting, by the way. Anything else costs extra,” Hancock’s raspy voice stage-whispered into Nora’s ear with a grin that was indicative of having _way_ too much fun at their expense.

“I know where you sleep at night, John.” Nora’s voice was a ground-out threat, but her cheeks were still charmingly-pink and Hancock wasn't anywhere _near_ cowed by the threat. 

“I like your style, sister. You move _fast_. But then, we're all very very aware of that.”

Certain Hancock was about to get a knife in the ribs, Mac cleared his throat, drawing Nora’s eyes from the mayor’s teasing leer. She shunted the ghoul off her shoulder, though it wasn't mean-spirited. Her voice was a lot more authoritative than the breathy gasps and sounds he was treated to last night, and Mac had to instantly banish those kind of thoughts from his mind.

“You as good as he says?”

“Best in the Commonwealth, let alone D.C.,” MacCready replied confidently. They both ignored the willful glee on Hancock’s face, the ghoul mayor just _waiting_ for someone to crack at the easy double entendre. The unspoken words were hanging in the air, but no one stubbornly said a thing. Hancock lit a cigarette with a grin but neither paid him any mind.

She sighed and gave him an appraising look-- different to the one she’d given him last night; appraisal of a different variety, not just his sexual appeal. He puffed his chest out in a matter of pride, though his cheeks were still burning, and she pursed her lips. “Well, if John says so, then fine. How are you with being underground?”

“Not gonna be a problem,” he said more than confidently, kind of wanting to crawl into a hole right now if he was being totally honest with himself.

“Good. We leave in an hour. I’ll meet you by the front gates.”

She breezed right past him without another word, Hancock’s chuckle following her departure. “Keep yourself out of trouble, dollface.”

“Shove it, Han _cock.”_

The mayor cackled to himself as she left with a fond smile on her face, and the pair of men were left alone with the winding smoke of Hancock’s cigarette.

“Didn’t even try to bargain you down. You’re welcome,” Hancock said with a far too self-interested grin.

“‘ _John_ ’, huh?” Mac asked as he lingered in the mayor’s sitting room.

“Jealous, MacCready? Or you wanna get on my good side, call me _John_ too?”

Mac just snorted, but he gladly took the cigarette Hancock handed him as they both sat there in otherwise companionable silence.

“She’s not _from_ a vault, is she?”

“You can ask her that,” Hancock said with something of a secretive smirk. “She's not like a vaultie, that's for damn sure.” The ghoul mayor laughed. “So, you do that to her neck, or did a molerat chew her in her sleep?”

“ _Oh come off it_ ,” the sniper said, frowning and fighting the heat in his cheeks and blowing smoke towards the ceiling. 

“You watch her back well, MacCready,” the other man told him in a much more serious tone. “And not just her ass.”

The sniper nearly choked on his cigarette and shot the mayor a look. 

Hancock only grinned. “I'd take it as a personal favor if you make sure she stays in one piece. That woman is good news for the commonwealth.”

MacCready just noncommittally shrugged-- it wasn't just ego that got him a reputation as a good shot- thinking on what Hancock meant by that, and if this job was going to be a cakewalk or not. 

\--

He met her by the gates of Goodneighbor an hour later, still reeling with memories of the night before. And she had that huge rifle slung against her back. 

Nora was loading her handgun as he approached her at the gates. “Got everything sorted?” she asked neutrally, purposely not looking at him.

“Uh… Like what?”

She looked up from what she was doing to raise a brow at him. 

He wondered if it was the neon lights, or if that was a light pink that set into her cheeks when their eyes met. Whether it was his imagination or not, he couldn't tell, and her focus went right back to her weapon as she looked away first. “Ready to start the job?”

“Oh, uh. _Yeah_. Yeah,” he stuttered, feeling a little stupid, and blaming it on the hangover. 

_Wow_ her voice was different from the night before. All business and definitely not pleasure. It was an uncommon situation, that was for damn sure. Not _unpleasant_ though, but she was definitely trying to ignore the awkwardness of the situation just as much as he was.

“Good. We're hunting down a few things, and it'll be a while before we pass back this way again,” she informed.

“Fine by me,” he replied, and followed after the path she set away from Goodneighbor.

It wasn't until they were out of the city that either of them spoke more than a word. But as they walked through less-dense population centers, Nora seemed to relax a bit, and broke the silence first.

“So… Were you _really_ leaving Goodneighbor today, or was that just a line to get rid of me?” she said with something of a casual smirk, though there was genuine inquiry in her eyes as she looked sidelong at him. 

Mac wondered if it was vanity or embarrassment that had prompted her to ask; that he might’ve lied in order not to see her again, and now here she was, needing him for a job when he might’ve been trying to throw her off. 

It gave him a few things to think about concerning his new employer, and recent, _very_ -good lay.

“Uh, no, it wasn't a line,” Mac admitted, wondering if it had been a mistake to take this job… though it wasn't like he had much choice. “I actually _was_ planning to hire up with a caravan or something today… Contracts have been hard to come by lately, and the pay sucks, but caravan guarding is steady money at least… But no, it wasn’t-- Not like it was _you_ or anything.”

His cheeks were a bit pink as Nora watched him, and she wondered if he was embarrassed that she'd brought it up at all. His answer more than satisfied her though. 

It was cute, she thought-- and on that note, he had been _more_ than capable of showing her a good time last night- but she just hoped that he was just as capable with his _actual_ gun as well.

She snorted at that line of thought, but didn't question it further. “Well, still left today, so I guess it's not like you lied to get rid of me, bad company that I am and all.”

It was a more playful remark than he’d expected to get, but whatever mood the day had started out on had more or less dissipated. The air was cleared between them at least, and he felt lighter than when they’d left Goodneighbor. And once they'd hit the open road, she clued him in to what they were doing and where they were going, and that they'd split whatever loot they found. 

It was a generous-as-hell offer, considering she'd already paid him. Maybe she was one of those rich kids from a brahmin-baron’s family with more money than sense. 

But no, she'd been suspiciously _kind_ even before knowing who he was. And the little smiles or looks she gave as they walked along together were genuine when he asked questions or commented on plans of attack. 

It was different, he thought, taking a contract with someone who’s orgasm-face he intimately knew, as opposed to a random stranger.

...Not that she was very random at all, either in stature or title as Minutemen General. He had more than a few questions about _that_ , and if he was on the job long enough, he was going to get answers.

There was definitely a different feel to this job, or at least, this contract. After the light conversation and the free beer the night before, he figured he had a pretty good idea of the type of person she was. She wasn't some tweaked-out addict or two-bit raider looking to put some pressure on a rival. The unlikelihood of getting a knife in the back or his caps stolen while he slept was looking good. 

And as his eyes found their way to her ass as they set up camp for the night, he couldn't help but wonder if there might be an invitation for a repeat of the night before. 

They were under a half-collapsed overpass on a cliff after all. It was pretty secluded, with a great view down through the thick brush. _And_ , he reminded himself, _she didn’t have a problem with fucking outdoors._

“Do you normally just go off with whoever hires you to shoot?” Nora asked as she was arranging somewhat dry brush and clearing a spot for a campfire.

He stowed his pack behind an old log, standing it up next to her own as she puttered about. “Yeah, sometimes. I mean, I’ve had high-profile contracts easy to take care of, but when you need some two-bit raider killed, sometimes I need the person paying me _with_ me to point them out.”

“That's fair.” She shot him a look as she was trying to arrange damp tinder with her own dry pieces of starter. His eyes drew up to meet hers from less-savory focus-views. “But I mean… isn't that dangerous? Out with some stranger?”

He shrugged. He’d never really thought about that too hard, world being what it was. And by her own questions, he wondered if she considered _him_ a stranger now, or if he was in some weird sex friend/employee category now. Didn’t make much difference to him. “It can be. Being a mercenary isn’t the safest job, no, but it pays well for the risk.”

“I hope it does for three-hundred and fifty caps,” she said with a playful tone to offset her serious expression. His cheeks went a bit pink at that, and it made her grin. 

She wondered how safe she'd be with him, even though Hancock had promised he was the best sniper out there, and that he'd keep her safe. What happened if she dropped her guard and woke up to a knife to the throat? Or he decided to ditch her silly quest and make off with her pack instead? She’d had people she _didn’t_ sleep with steal from her after all.

She lightly chuckled to herself at her line of thought, considering how she'd let him fuck her the night before. He'd been a _very_ sweet lay. An absolute sweetheart; surprising considering what a grump he'd been when she'd sent him down that first beer. But then, he was down on his luck, same as her.

It was stupid, but with last night, and with Hancock’s own glowing stamp of approval, the sniper felt _safe_ to her. She was pretty good at reading people anyways, and while it was clear the merc was hardup for work, she didn’t think he’d _hurt_ her. If he'd wanted to gut her or rob her, he would've done it when he had her pinned to that alley. 

She smiled at the thought as she tried to get a proper fire going.

“So… _General,_ huh?” MacCready broke through her reverie, and she smiled at his tone.

“ _Yep_ ,” she said, popping the P. She gave him a sideways glance. “Not very intimidating for a General, am I?”

He laughed and gave her a grin that she returned. “Intimidation has little to do with actual ability.”

“That's true. I never would have thought _you_ were the big bad merc Hancock was bringing to me,” she admitted, trying to get the little twigs she’d gathered to do more than just smoke. It must’ve rained the night before out here, but at least things weren’t too damp to actually get going.

Mac gave her a frown. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing bad-- or to get offended by-” she quickly clarified. “I mean… You did show me a _nice_ time last night. Wouldn’t expect _that_ from some grizzled mercenary,” she laughed.

He went absolutely crimson, still embarrassed from their meeting that morning. Her own cheeks felt hot, and it had nothing to do with the small embers she was trying to stoke to life in front of them. 

“The way Hancock talked you up, I was expecting a big meathead named Thag or something with a body count trailing after him,” she chuckled. “But I saw how you landed headshots on those mutants we ran into, and how fast you are with a takedown. He was right. You're very skilled. I'm pleasantly surprised.”

MacCready was blushing right down to his toes. He loved his skills with a rifle being praised. Too often he was looked over for _not_ being the physical embodiment of a man of his reputation, but his skills proved his worth time and again. That his lay from last night-- now his _boss-_ seemed impressed made his ears go hot with pleased embarrassment. 

“You're not very _intimidating_ to go with that fearsome reputation,” Nora continued on, enjoying the way she was obviously flustering the man. “...Especially after a few beers and good company, right?”

Mac couldn't help but chuckle at that, thinking he must have a special kind of karma to get away with being such an asshole only to have the best lay he'd had in a long time _and_ a paying job.

...and he needed to _not_ let his mind wander down that road the first watch of his new contract… damn but she had a pretty smile though. “Yeah, well, who hasn't been down that road before, right?”

“Yeah… Too bad we didn't bring any more with.”

He murmured in agreement, thinking a nice cold beer would really hit the spot about now after hoofing it all day long.

...And then he realized she was looking at him with implication, and her mouth turned to a sly little smile that made _his_ go dry.

She was _testing_ him, he realized in sudden excited glee. Testing the waters to see if he was up for a repeat. Why else bring up last night when they were miles away from a good bar? The way she continued to look at him-- smile slowly growing as understanding became apparent on his face- made him very self-aware of the moment.

He cocked his head and gave her the most minute of looks that begged for confirmation of some unspoken thing. And her lips broke over her teeth and Nora gave him a dazzling grin. One of her hands came to rest on his thigh-- just touching, not squeezing or anything else- and the sniper could feel his heart speed and his cock twitch in his pants.

Nora gave him a smoldering look. “Know any good ways to pass the time, Mr. MacCready?”

“ _F_ f-- for pity’s _sake_ , boss.”

“Is that a _no_?” she mocked with a smile that knew the opposite, giving his thigh a single rub of her thumb. 

“About as far from it,” he laughed a little self-consciously as he placed a hand over the one she had on his thigh. “You read my mind,” he continued as he grasped her hand in his, and tugged her sideways into his lap. 

Nora gave a delighted squeal at his hands on her, and she placed a securing hand on his neck, another on his shoulder, and kissed his lips with unconcealed want. She could feel a calloused hand already under her shirt at her back, stroking up that expanse of skin and trying to gain access around the front that was still tucked into her pants. It was exciting to know those hands again. See if last night wasn't some drunken fluke, or if she'd found a reliable mercenary _and_ good fuck buddy.

 _God_ but she was about due for some small turnaround of luck in this piece of shit world, and she _really_ hoped he could be it.

Nora chuckled as a sound halfway between a murmur and a growl left the man as she tugged his lower lip with her teeth. The look she gave him made his heart pound with excitement. “So I'll take that as a _yes,_ MacCready?”

“Yes _what?”_ he asked absentmindedly, moving to kiss up her neck, and stroking the small bumps of her ribs with his thumb beneath her shirt.

Nora snickered. “Feel like passing some time in creative ways?”

He paused in nibbling a new mark onto her neck as his greedy mind thought of all the ways he’d like to have her and just how good things had felt last night. “It’s not exactly safe out here,” he said, even as a hand worked up her thigh, his thumb rubbing the inseam with implication to his intentions. Her sighs rang heavily in his ears, and his heart beat excitedly in his chest _and_ his cock. 

“Don't tell me that's a _no_ , then,” Nora teased, though she knew what he meant. They weren't exposed necessarily, but they were still out in the open, and her piddly little attempt at making a cooking fire was smoldering more than burning flame. It was risky to not have someone on watch-- to be so distracted. But _fuck..._

Mac was kissing and nibbling up her neck, adding to the marks he'd left there the night before. Nora was tugging at him, squirming in his lap as she pressed against him, hands everywhere as if she hadn’t explored nearly enough the night before.

Mac’s teeth found the junction of her shoulder and neck, and Nora ground against him with a stuttered moan, feeling him hard beneath her thighs. It sent a spike of lust through her. “ _RJ,_ please,” she said as his fingertips finally made contact with the skin on her stomach. She wanted to be touched. She wanted to be fucked. She wanted to hear the sweet little pleasured sounds that left his lips when he was fucking her. And moreover, she wanted to be distracted again from the weight of the world on her shoulders. “We can be fast, I know we can… It should be fine… _Please, RJ.”_

Hearing his initials-- the name he'd given her the night before- made him throb in his pants. She hadn't called him _that_ all day. But now… And with her breathy little sighs and moans...

It was a stupid idea. A really _fucking_ stupid idea, but he wasn't going to say no to another shot at getting off with the beautiful creature in his lap. He'd hoped that the memory of last night would stay with him to make weeks guarding caravans not so lonely, but here he was on a job _with the real thing_ yet again… His luck had completely turned around.

“Shi-- _shoot_ , Nora… yeah, yeah… let's be fast about it.”

Nora was moving to straddle his lap in excitement, arms wrapping around him and lips meeting his anew as she gyrated against the jutting bulge in his lap. It made him moan, gripping her ass and nipping at her skin as she writhed in his arms. She was too impatient to remove herself from him and _get on with it,_ but she didn’t want to stop the wonderful friction she felt as she ground herself against him.

MacCready wondered at his sudden run of good fortune. Here he had a gorgeous woman in his lap-- who was _paying_ him for the privilege- and he was getting to run his fingers up the very thing he was hired to protect. Yes, this had to be the best contract he’d _ever_ agreed to. 

He moaned as her hands rucked up his shirt, and his own fingertips pressed into the waistband of her pants. The little hitched sound of anticipation had his cock throbbing so hard it was nearly painful, and as he worked the front of her own pants open to slip his fingers inside, she made a sound that was going to fuel his every wet dream from now til kingdom come.

“Oh _RJ_ … please… _just_ like that…”

She was so hot and wet under his fingers, and every pass of his digits over her clit had her gasping his name and grasping his shoulders.

He met her lips as she ground against his hand, her own hands cupping his face as she opened her mouth to his. He groaned as she ground down on his hardon, and gripped her ass tightly with one hand. “Oh, _fuck_ that's nice--”

“Got that right,” Nora said playfully, voice breathy and heart thundering in her chest. She gasped as MacCready’s thumb brushed over her clit and then just as abruptly stopped. She whined and gyrated against his hand, wondering if he’d decided to tease, only for him to still her as he’d gone completely still himself.

“ _Quiet,_ ” he said quickly, alert. “I think I heard something.”

They both went totally still, listening in the night for any signs of animals, mutants, or whatever abomination the wasteland might decide to throw at them. The pounding of blood rushed in both their ears for their exertions, but over that throb, they strained to listen to the land about them. They didn’t move for several moments, and MacCready thought maybe he’d imagined it-- just being jumpy since it _was_ risky.

But then he saw a light, and a miner’s helmet, and realized a small band of raiders-- no less than five, but he couldn’t quite tell for sure- were headed their way.

He quickly removed his hand from her pants as she climbed off him, the pair of them taking cover in the sparse brush, listening quietly on the dark wind. No loud voices or battle cries were heard; no bullets whizzing in their direction. They must not have been seen yet.

The pair quickly scrambled with their packs down the side of the overpass that had fallen away to hide beneath the ancient cement roadway. The part of the concrete slab that had once been the overpass created a pretty decent little hollow against the earth it leaned on. Just big enough for them to squeeze in to in line behind one another. There were too many raiders to risk even trying to take them out, and not nearly enough cover to make a run for it either. 

They waited a good hour in total; from the passing of the small band, and the sound of lightly-drunk voices milling about, to the shuffling away that dwindled until they heard no other sounds than the oncoming night. 

Nora grumbled once they had climbed back up into the makeshift camp. Her sleeping bag that she'd forgotten to grab as they’d hidden had been stolen, and her crappy excuse for a fire was stomped out-- either intentionally, or just walked over as it had been a smoldering mess anyways. There was nothing to hint that they might encounter another crossing with such a group, but the two of them were on higher alert after the fact.

“And that's why it's a bad idea to mess around without cover,” MacCready chuckled as they decided to try camping out someplace else. 

“...Oh shut up MacCready,” Nora said with sour frustration.

He was proud of himself for stifling the snort that wanted to leave him, understanding her poor mood and thinking, _damn, what crappy timing._ He may not be uncomfortably hard anymore after they’d been waiting in silence, anticipating a fight, but he was antsy now, and couldn’t blame her mood. 

Watch was going to suck even more once they set up new camp.

And while it would be easy to take back up where they left off and try for another go, it had already proved far too risky. Letting his dick have a little R&R was hardly worth his life, after all, and his job was to watch her back, _not_ get his rocks off. And if she was annoyed at that, well, they could be annoyed together, but at least he’d keep his reputation as a professional who kept his clients _alive._

Nora didn't try to initiate anything else when they traveled on the open road together, but Mac was pretty sure by the look when their eyes met that she was feeling the tension between them, too.

He hoped that wherever it was they were headed, that there'd be some damn decent cover and maybe if he was super lucky, a soft mattress too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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